"We totally had to be talked into doing this by the sales team."
"The sales team has absolutely no influence over us at all."
k guys!
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Press Reset: The Story of Polygon - financed by Microsoft for $750,000
- Thread starter Grecco
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"We totally had to be talked into doing this by the sales team."
"The sales team has absolutely no influence over us at all."
k guys!
Jasper Avenue
Member
This site is quickly becoming the biggest joke in games media. It's going to be nice to see it fail.
Felix Lighter
Member
That's exactly it. It's funny but I'm sure they can justify this slimy bullshit in their own minds and it will likely have zero impact on their success.
PowderedToast
Junior Member
you're joking right?
by accepting that funding the site immediately becomes invalidated. it's called CONFLICT OF INTEREST, and it's something everybody in the journalism world understands.
i can't stand the excuse of "we need advertising to survive". if you actually built a solid and reputable reputation for yourselves, you wouldn't be approached by just videogame publishers. first, learn how to survive without them. then, begin to find sponsors from other sources. wow that was simple.
polygon is all style no substance. a slick MODURN sheen on the same old ugly, cynical business model. but who expected any better, right?
Holy shit. Where did that number come from?
PsychoSoldier
Banned
It may not affect their content, but holy lord does it look bad to take that sum of money from one of the Big Three.
Yeah I'd like to know this too. Is Exp. Magazine really that reliable?
I think people are finally ready for this.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
Considering one of the Polygon guys confirmed it, I guess so.
Given the aegies tweet quoted above, it looks like their intel was good. That is an insane amount of money to pay for a slickly edited puff-series (the basic structure of at least the first three episodes prevents any real depth) about a website that doesn't exist yet.
Team Filler
Member
Sounds highly illegal. I wonder if they rented out the Staples Center to use while editing their documentary.
Can someone honestly explain to me why Polygon is such a big deal? I don't understand - it just feels like a hard to navigate website.
Am I missing something? I'm honestly not trying to be fecisious I just don't understand it.
Giant Bomb's wiki driven backend and personalized previews through quick looks really feel like the next step forward for gaming websites to me. Is there something on the verge I am missing that I am not aware of?
Am I missing something? I'm honestly not trying to be fecisious I just don't understand it.
Giant Bomb's wiki driven backend and personalized previews through quick looks really feel like the next step forward for gaming websites to me. Is there something on the verge I am missing that I am not aware of?
Team Filler
Member
PsychoSoldier
Banned
Felix Lighter
Member
$750,000 isn't that much when you realize it buys you an entire video series that stars every editor of a potentially major publication that covers your industry.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
*thousand
Team Filler
Member
ShockingAlberto
Member
Holy fuck shit
This is ethically murky as goddamn fuck
I am seriously fucking flabbergasted
As a journalist and a gamer and a consumer of news I am literally beyond words what the goddamn fuckshit jesus christ
This is ethically murky as goddamn fuck
I am seriously fucking flabbergasted
As a journalist and a gamer and a consumer of news I am literally beyond words what the goddamn fuckshit jesus christ
PsychoSoldier
Banned
Apparently to make a video series about how said news site was created.
CambriaRising
Member
Team Filler
Member
They had the necessary equipment to further the message, i.e. kneepads and open mouths.
For favourable coverage just like every other site.
Team Filler
Member
Future review thesis:
Felix Lighter
Member
This article sure makes it sound like Microsoft or at least someone in Polygon sales conceived the idea of the documentary to begin with:
I'm not sure how any of them can say that editorial isn't impacted when sales or sponsers are coming up with the ideas for Polygon's video content.
WrenchNinja
Member
Its funny, cause the verge and polygon looks like a clusterfuck on PC browsers, especially IE.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
To be fair to them, I don't think the actual cost is egregious for a professional video shoot. I think that the folks doing the Double Fine Adventure documentary are probably costing that much or more.
Where the money is coming from feels a bit icky though.
Where the money is coming from feels a bit icky though.
Double Fine doc is already better at half the price (or less. can't remember the exact number).
This needs its own thread.
CecilRousso
Member
So we finally get a gaming site that´s going to be open about how depedent they are on the goodwill of the big publishers? That´s refreshing. 
How to destroy your site's credibility before it even launches.
That is pretty groundbreaking stuff.
Don't listen to that trash, it rots your brain.
CambriaRising
Member
No, but the writers' bosses do.
The site that they write for gets the money. That's why it's a big deal. Obviously.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
I think most people realize that, but they theoretically could get some benefit (financially or otherwise) from the publicity such a doc could give them so it feels a bit gross, especially when it comes from one of the companies that they're likely to be covering a great deal.
I don't think that anyone says it's evidence they're on the hook for MS or anything, but it is a lens people are going to look at things through.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you swear before. And now there's like, seven in one of your posts.
This is going down in the GAF history books.
bigtroyjon
Member
So is it a big deal that a site like Eurogamer is covered in ads for a game or console constantly?
I'm one of the bigger Polygon haters around but taking in ad money is certainly not a big deal for a website.
I said I agree it's newsworthy. I wouldn't hang them out to dry until I actually saw some evidence of impropriety first.
That being said, yeah that is a huge amount of money. Doesn't seem like Microsoft gets a great return on just that video series. Perhaps there is another ad buy component to it.
Agreed. And I'm all for transparency in this, which is something we rarely ever fully get.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
But they're not advertising a Microsoft product--Microsoft is ostensibly paying them to make a documentary promoting themselves, with a small notation that it was sponsored by IE.
That's why it feels a bit different.
it feels like an attache case got slid across something at some point
It also doesnt help that the writers are not known for being impartial.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
When is Microsoft going to pay you to make a documentary about making CAG?
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